Saluting our Soldiers-Wounded Warriors Blog Hop

My grandpa, Marine Lt. Col. Donald D Fereday died on Independence Day, July 4, 2003, forever haunted by the scenes he encountered while serving in Korea. Many of our men and women who serve become physically and mentally wounded everyday protecting our freedoms.

Ahoy Fellow Fathomers. By now, you know I enjoy creating fictional worlds readers will identify with. Although I hope readers escape with my words, I also entwine helpful storylines that might help make a difference. However, sometimes events and issues in our realm are not always comfortable subjects-I tackle them in some manner anyway.

Today's blog is part of a special blog hop to raise money for the Wounded Warriors project. At minimum, the group of writers involved in this opportunity will raise $600 for their organization. If you would like to see how more you can help, please click this link Wounded Warriors. I will donate at least $30 for participating in this hop. Please leave your email address and name within the comment so I may count you as a visitor. I will draw two names from all comments posted containing name and email address and those winners will receive an eBook of my latest release, Lovedust and Trailblazers. Please keep reading for the link back to the main blog for more chances to win.

In my release, Lovedust and Trailblazers, I chronicle the romantic journey of “Josiah” and “Minnie”. Fictional Josiah is a tough, soft-spoken, military veteran rancher. Fictional Minnie is a spunky, intelligent, trailblazing female veterinarian. Josiah’s return from the Korean Conflict did not occur as smoothly as he had hoped, dealing with the trauma and horrors he experienced during his tour. Minnie attempts to fit in as one of the first female vets of the 1950’s.Finding each other, they learn how to trust, forge ahead, and share intimacies. Yes, this book contains some explosive love scenes, but, these two deserve it. J

Although not an overwhelming theme in this book, I touch on what we now know as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD. Prevalent from many different causes, situations, and ages in life- combat and the experiences of military duties are very common cathartic events to invoke PTSD. My fictional hero, Josiah, developed PTSD, however, back in the 1950’s, it really was not a clinical diagnosis. The term PTSD itself was not coined until the 1970’s, long after the Korean Conflict ended. Real-life soldiers might have been called, rather undiplomatically,“shell-shocked”.

“Josiah” returned home without understanding, and an overwhelming sadness and anxiety he felt he had to cope with completely on his own. I could write the ending for Josiah that I wanted to happen, but, not the reality so many men and women live with every day.

How does this apply to our lives today in the real world?

Without further ado, please graciously allow me to introduce this snippet from this close to my heart project, Lovedust and Trailblazers:

“Josiah walked away on shaky legs. Other than a few of the pin-up posters he had seen in the military, he never paid that much attention to women. Living on a remote Oklahoma ranch, not too many girls crossed his path. Of course, he went to school with some girls, but no one he really wanted to settle down with.

When he went to Korea, it really put thoughts of a girlfriend or marriage out of his mind. That afternoon reminded Josiah just how lonely life on a ranch could be. Minnie’s beauty and spunk inspired him to feel like a man and not shy away from the intensity the female gender triggered in most men.

“Well, Zeke, what do you think about our neighbor?”

“Josiah, I’ve never met a woman that confused me more in my cotton pickin’ life. What in the world do you do with a pet cow?”

“Zeke…brother…we see our farm animals as things, not living creatures. She sees it the other way around. Do you understand that?”

“Honestly, I see them as how we make a livin’. They’re dumb as dirt and good for human consumption. That’s about it. You know, raisin’ rodeo stock is not exactly a tender way to treat animals. What about those rough-housin’ inmates at the prison in McAlester? During the prison rodeo they tend to want to let out a few aggressions during the events. “

“She sees life in a different way, she is a veterinarian. She probably cares more about animals than people. By the way, just because we raise livestock for the rodeo circuit, doesn’t mean we don’t care about how they’re treated. From what I understand these high profile rodeos might start having a vet oversee the show, including the prison rodeo. That’ll help the bad reputation rodeos have for mistreating the stock.” Returning his thought process to Minnie, his eyes shifted dreamily. “Wow, Zeke, she is the only woman vet I know. That’s something, I tell you.”

Suddenly, Zeke had a rare epiphany. “Aww shucks, Josiah, you like this girl!”

“Maybe I do, Zeke, what of it?” Josiah almost became defensive, but was too happy.

“Nothing, brother, I won’t say another word.” Zeke grinned from ear to ear.”

Comments

Anonymous said…

In the summers when I was in high school, I worked at a chicken processing plant. Vietnam was going on then. sometimes I would be working side-by-side with men who thirty days before had been in the jungles in Vietnam. Saw a lot of PTSD up close and personal.

Thank you for sharing. I would imagine the chicken plant might have added to the stress of only being home for thirty days from the horrors of Vietnam. I don't think anyone, unless, they were actually there, or a friend or family member, can really fully grasp how traumatic this is. I hope you have a peaceful holiday season. thank you again.

Thank you for this wonderful hop, I am an Army Brat and I am so proud of not only my father but our Military. I remember so many times my dad was away and I missed him but I knew he had a job to do. One he was proud of.

Excellent post Davee, Thank you for sharing, and thank you for supporting a cause that is near and dear to me. PTSD is very real, and unfortunately becoming more common and diagnosed. Our warriors need a lot of support from our country, our society, and their community to deal with it.

When my grandfather came home from WWII he wouldn't talk about what he experienced in the south pacific & had nightmares. While more is being learned all the time about PTSD, there is still room for improvement on how we deal with these soldiers who have seen & experienced too much. We owe it to them to keep trying to help them regain their equilibrium.

Thanks to everyone for supporting Wounded Warriors Project with this hop.

Thank you for participating in the Wounded Warrior Blog Hop! Our wounded heroes deserve our respect and support. My husband and I are also veterans, and when we go out, he wears his Desert Storm ball cap. It always warms my heart when someone stops to thank him for his service.

My beloved husband, brother, father (Korea as your grandfather), and forebears were military, and my son and daughter-in-law are law enforcement. We owe a great deal to our protectors. Thanks for participating in this worthy cause.

I am grateful for the sacrifices made by people like your grandfather and some of my own family members. Thanks for participating in this blog hop. You are doing a great thing for our military members - our heroes. Finally, congrats on what sounds like a very touching story. :)

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